Spring-based target throwing machine having safety lever

ABSTRACT

A TARGET THROWING MACHINE OF A CATAPULT TYPE HAVING A THROWING ARM ARRESTING MEANS COMPRISNG A SAFETY LEVER AND A ROW OF SPACED DETENTS ARRANGED ALONG THE THROWING ARM AND ENGAGEABLE BY THE SAFETY LEVER AS THE THROWING ARM IS DEPRESSED FOR PREVENTING THE THROWING ARM FROM SPRING UP AT AN UNDESIRED TIME AND PERHAPS CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY.

P 20, 1971 D. K. WELBOURN 3,605,715

SPRING-BASED TARGET THROWING MACHINE HAVING SAFETY LEVER Filed Sept. 19, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOK. DAL E K. WELBOURN Sept. 20, 1971 D. K. WELBOURN 3,605,715

SPRING'-BASED TARGET THROWING MACHINE HAVING SAFETY LEVER Filed Sept. 19, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

A l 1 50 I Hi I. IIEIII I 4 A;

I84 go no I60 [0 "12 W :2" INVENTOR. I a I DALE K. WELBOURN United States Patent O 3,605,715 SPRING-BASED TARGET THROWING MACHINE HAVING SAFETY LEVER Dale K. Welbourn, Box 26, Neola, Iowa 51559 Filed Sept. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 859,429 Int. Cl. F41b 3/02 US. Cl. 124-7 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A target throwing machine of a catapult type having a throwing arm arresting means comprising a safety lever and a row of spaced detents arranged along the throwing arm and engageable by the safety lever as the throwing arm is depressed for preventing the throwing arm from springing up at an undesired time and perhaps causing serious injury.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of target launching devices of a catapult type.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the prior art there has been great danger that a catapult throwing arm might spring back while it is being cocked, or after it has been cocked but is accidentally released, thereby perhaps causing serious injury, either because the arm strikes a person at an unexpected moment, or else because the arm throws its target at an unexpected time perhaps hitting a bystander.

In my opinion, it is because of the basic dangerousness of a catapult throwing device that such devices have not been more properly used for throwing targets. This is my opinion because a catapult throwing device inherently has many fine advantages over other target throwing devices. Among these advantages are the ability to throw targets of many types and descriptions such as may be found cheap and handy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A target throwing device of the catapult type having a throwing arm urged upwardly by a spring and further having an arresting means comprising a safety lever and a spaced row of detents arranged along the throwing arm and engageable by the safety lever as the throwing arm is depressed so that the safety lever sequentially engages one after another of the detents and so that if the throwing arm is released by an operator or if it tends to spring up at an undesired time, the safety lever will engage a detent to which it is adjacent for detaining the throwing arm from springing up so as to perhaps prevent serious injury to an operator or bystander.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the target throwing machine of this invention with the safety lever shown in a released position in full lines, although its end portion is broken away, the safety lever being also shown in another position in dotted lines, the dotted line position being a position of the safety lever while the catapult has ben left in a safety lock position and the safety lever is being moved in route to a safety release position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the throwing machine with its throwing arm being urged toward an upward position but its upward motion restrained by the safety lever of this invention, an upper throwing position assumed by the arm toward the end of a throwing stroke being shown in dotted lines, the safety release position of the safety lever being shown in dotted lines, and partly broken away.

3,605,715 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The target throwing machine of this invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIG. 1 and has a substantially rectangular frame 12 having a forward end 14 and a rearward end 16. An elongated throwing arm 20 is disposed above the frame 12 and has its forward end suitably pivotally attached to the frame by attachment means 40 for a swinging movement of the rear-ward end 42 of the throwing arm 20 upwardly for throwing and downwardly for cocking.

The rearward 'end 42 of the arm has a suitable receptacle 50 mounted thereon for receiving target materials such as 60 in FIG. 2 and which can be any available, economical, or otherwise desirable target material. A spring 70 is suitably mounted on the frame beneath the arm 20 and urges it upwardly toward an upper position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 for throwing the target 60.

The underside of the arm 20 has a suitable catch engageable by a latch 82 which is urged into engagement position therewith by a latch spring 84 attached to the frame and to the latch 82, the latch having a foot pedal attached thereto and extending reanwardly from the frame so that an operator by stepping thereon can release the arm 20 for throwing motion.

Excessive throwing motion is prevented by a restraining chain 100, part of the slack of which is restrained from becoming taut by spring 120.

As it will be readily seen, upward movement of the arm 20 is extremely dangerous to persons who are unaware of its upward travel. For this reason, after the arm 20 has been placed in a cocked position, it is important that it be prevented from being released at an unwanted time and for this reason, a safety lever is provided and is of a substantially U-shape but with terminal ends suitably pivotally connected to the frame at its right and left sides for the pivoting of the elongated lever 150 about a horizontal axis adjacent the rearward end 16 so that the detent engaging means which is formed of a normally horizontal center section can engage against the forward side of any one of a plurality of spaced detents 180, which latter are attached to the upper side of the throwing arm 20 and each hook forwardly at upper terminal ends so that when the detent engaging means 170 engages one of the detents 180, the throwing arm 20 cannot further rise.

It is of particular importance to notice that the detents in FIG. 2 have their rearward surfaces curving upwardly and forwardly at an inclination so as to permit the detent engaging means 170 to freely bump along their upper sides and thereacross so as to pass from detent to detent as the throwing arm 20 is lowered during cooking. If the person lowering the throwing arm 20 should be careless or for any reason not strong enough to finish the cocking, then the safety lever 150 will firmly hold and prevent the throwing arm 20 from rising because of engagement of the detent engaging means 170 with which ever detent is adjacent and next to the rearward side thereof.

After the machine has been completely cocked and the latch 82 is holding the arm 20 down, then the safety lever 150 can remain in holding position until just before the operator is ready to shoot. Then at that time, the operator can swing the safety lever 150 from the full line position shown in FIG. 4 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2, which latter is the release of safety position. The operator then can step on the pedal 90 and release the target throwing arm.

However, it should be noted that while the throwing machine is cocked, if anything should distract the operator so that his attention is turned away from the machine for a period of time, then children or other persons who might accidentally engage the pedal 90, will not be struck by the arm 20, provided the safety lever 150 is in a restraining position in engagement with the detent and as shown in full lines in FIG. 4.

Between each detent 180 and an adjacent detent is a substantial space 184 suflicient for permitting the passage of the detent engaging portion 170 therethrough.

I claim:

1. A target throwing machine having a frame having forward and rearward ends, an elongated throwing arm having a forward end pivotally attached to said frame for a swinging movement of the rearward end of the arm upwardly and downwardly with respect to said frame, the rearward end of said arm having target receiving means thereon and being free to define a throwing motion in a direction both upwardly and toward its pivoted end in an arc, spring means operably correlated with said frame and said arm and urging said arm into said throwing motion, said frame and arm defining an assembly, means attaching said spring means to said assembly, releasable catch means connected to said frame and operably correlated with said arm for holding said throwing arm in a lower fixed cocked position with respect to said frame, an arresting means including an elongated safety lever having one of its parts pivotally attached at one of its ends to said frame, another part of said safety lever lapping said arm, said safety lever and said arm together defining two main sections of a locking assembly, a series of spaced detents spaced along and attached to one of said main sections of said locking assembly, detent engaging means attached to the other main section of said locking assembly and slidable past said detents sequentially as said arm is lowered toward cocked position and engageable with one of said detents to which it is adjacent when the free end of said arm moves upward to thus arresting upward movement of said arm, said safety lever being swing able into a release position of non-engagement of said detents and said detent engaging means preparatory to release of said arm for throwing.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said detents are specifically mounted on the upper side of said throwing arm, and said detent engaging means being part of said safety lever.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said safety lever is so shaped and attached to said frame in such a position that said safety lever can be swung over the top of said arm so as to permit said arms swing to define a throwing motion.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which said throwing arm is of substantially a U-shape.

5. The combination of claim I in which said detents are disposed on the upper side of said throwing arm and in which the upper and rearward side of said detents are so shaped as to permit said detent engaging means to slide along a rearward side of each detent it passes during the lowering of said throwing arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1933 Blanchard "124-7 2/1968 Brink ..124?

U.S. Cl. X.R. l2440, 36 

